Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla has been apprehended by state law enforcement officials, facing a slew of criminal charges. The arrest was executed by agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) following Diaz de la Portilla’s voluntary surrender at the FDLE’s Doral office.
Charges Against Diaz de la Portilla and Attorney Riley
Diaz de la Portilla, aged 58, now confronts a litany of charges that include one count of money laundering, three counts of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior, one count of bribery, and one count of criminal conspiracy. Simultaneously, Attorney William W. Riley Jr., aged 48, finds himself in similar legal jeopardy, charged with the same offenses as Diaz de la Portilla.
Allegations of Misconduct and Campaign Violations
In addition to the aforementioned charges, Diaz de la Portilla faces four counts of official misconduct, one count of exceeding legal limits for campaign contributions, and two counts of failure to report gifts. Riley, too, has been charged with failing to disclose lobbyist expenses.
The potential consequences of conviction loom large, with both individuals potentially facing decades behind bars. Money laundering carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 30 years, while the charges of unlawful compensation, bribery, and criminal conspiracy each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years. These charges stem from allegations that Diaz de la Portilla and Riley accepted payments exceeding $15,000 for Diaz de la Portilla’s brother’s judicial campaign, which they allegedly failed to report as mandated by Florida Statutes, Chapter 106. Furthermore, Riley is accused of controlling a bank account under the name of a Delaware-based corporation, which was allegedly used to launder approximately $245,000 in concealed political contributions. These contributions were purportedly made by a management services company in exchange for permission to construct a sports complex within the city of Miami, according to an FDLE news release.
